Polymers of carbon monoxide and ethylenically unsaturated hydrocarbons have been known for some time. Brubaker, U.S. Pat. No. 2,495,286, produced such polymers of relatively low carbon monoxide content in the presence of free radical initiators, e.g., peroxy compounds, U.K. No. 1,081,304 discloses the production of similar polymers of higher carbon monoxide content in the presence of alkylphosphine complexes of palladium salts as catalyst. Nozaki extended this reaction to produce linear alternating polymers in the presence of arylphosphine complexes of palladium moieties and certain inert solvents. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,689,460 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,694,412.
More recently, the class of linear alternating polymers of carbon monoxide and ethylenically unsaturated hydrocarbons has become of greater interest in part because of the greater availability of the polymers in quantity. Production of this class of polymers, also known as polyketones or polyketone polymers, is illustrated by a number of Published European Applications including 121,965 and 181,014 and by copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 930,468 filed Nov. 14, 1986. These references illustrate the production of linear alternating polymers of carbon monoxide and ethylenically unsaturated hydrocarbons in the presence of catalyst compositions formed from a compound of palladium, cobalt or nickel, the anion of a non-hydrohalogenic acid having a pKa less than about 6 and a bidentate ligand of phosphorus, arsenic or antimony.
In general, these polymerization catalyst compositions preferably are formed, inter alia, from a bidentate ligand of phosphorus, particularly a bis(phosphino)alkane, and best results are obtained when the catalyst composition is formed from a 1,3-bis(phosphino)propane. Phosphine ligands such as 1,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)propane and 1,3-bis[di(2-methoxyphenyl)phosphino]propane are illustrative of this class of preferred bis(phosphino)propanes. While these catalyst compositions are efficient in catalyzing the production of the linear alternating polymers, it would be of advantage to provide even more active catalyst compositions.